Tips

In a recent study John Morkes
and I found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came
across; only 16 percent read word by word. As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable
text, using meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones).

Nielsen (1997b)

Structure articles with two or even three levels of headlines (a general page
heading plus subheads and sub-subheads when appropriate). Nested headings also facilitate
access for blind users with screen-readers.

Nielsen (1997a)

Settle on as few heading styles and subtitles as are necessary to organize your
content, then use your chosen styles consistently.

Lynch & Horton (1997)

Use anything you can to signal the transition from one topic to the next.

Van Dijk & Kintsch (1983)

Original Passage:

MRP can handle two kinds of
manufacturingdiscrete and repetitive. They differ in regularity and costing. When
you need to make products in groups or batches, you use discrete manufacturing. You give
each batch a job number, a manufactured part number, a quantity (for that particular job),
a start date and end date. Because you have a discrete job, you can charge all production
costs to that job. With job costing, you can open a job, collect the charges for a job,
close out a job, analyze and report costs and variances by job. On the other hand, you may
have to manufacture some products continuously. Instead of discrete groups, you have a
nonstop flow of products through the line. You define your schedule by the daily rate of
production, and you charge the cost of production to the product, on a lump or unit basis.
You never close out a schedule; you just vary the rate of production. So you analyze costs
by period; when the period closes, you total all charges, and divide that number by the
number of products, to get a unit cost, and usage variances, during that period. You
choose one method or another for a product when yuou set it up in the inventory. From that
point on, MRP will plan production based on the method you have chosendiscrete or
repetitive.

Revised Passage:

We Can Handle Two Kinds of Manufacturing

MRP can handle two kinds of
manufacturingdiscrete and repetitive. They differ in regularity and costing.

Discrete Manufacturing Works in Batches

When you need to make products in groups or batches, you use discrete
manufacturing. You give each batch a job number, a manufactured part number, a quantity
(for that particular job), a start date and end date.

Costing: Because you have a discrete job, you can charge all production costs to
that job. With job costing, you can open a job, collect the charges for a job, close out a
job, analyze and report costs and variances by job.

Repetitive Manufacturing Just Goes On and On

You may have to manufacture some products continuously. Instead of discrete groups,
you have a nonstop flow of products through the line. You define your schedule by the
daily rate of production, and you charge the cost of production to the product, on a lump
or unit basis. You never close out a schedule; you just vary the rate of production.

Costing: So you analyze costs by period; when the period closes, you total all
charges, and divide that number by the number of products, to get a unit cost, and usage
variances, during that period.

You Decide

You choose one method or another for a product when you set it up in the inventory.
From that point on, MRP will plan production based on the method you have
chosendiscrete or repetitive.

Challenge: Insert headings.

For each item on the bill of materials, you need to
define whether or not that material will be pushed out of the warehouse, to await use on
the line, or pulled from the warehouse just in time to be used during assembly. Pushing
ensures all supplies are there on time, but wastes valuable floor space while you wait for
the assembly to get to the point where the materials can be used. Pushing resembles
traditional manufacturing. Pulling depends on an intelligent conveyor system, triggered by
the software, to offload the material from racks, and bring it to the right spot on the
floor at the right time. Pulling takes awhile to fine tune, because there are so many
physical problems possible, but once pulling has been established, it saves space on the
work floor. Pulling is the more contemporary method of manufacturing. Because each
items method of delivery must be defined when creating the bill of materials, you
now need to choose between push and pull.